The plastic bumper has really grown on me

[James Vette]

I used to be hellbent on the chrome bumpers but honestly I do love the plastic bumpers just as much now. Gives more of a 70s vibe as well.

 

[CaptainK]

I love my chrome bumpers on my C3, but after being in the club for a while now and seeing the plastic bumpers more, I'm beginning to warm to them much more. Though to be honest, I've always liked the front plastic bumper, it was always the rear plastic bumper that just put me off. Can't quite put my finger on why though.

 

[Mad4slalom]

I love my chrome bumpers on my C3, but after being in the club for a while now and seeing the plastic bumpers more, I'm beginning to warm to them much more. Though to be honest, I've always liked the front plastic bumper, it was always the rear plastic bumper that just put me off. Can't quite put my finger on why though.

I ask myself , would i prefer a chrome bumper over a plastic one? Yes , …would I prefer a plastic bumpered vette over any other classic of the same era, Hell Yes ! A vette is a vette ! End of !

 

[Nassau65]

I always liked the plastic bumpers. To me as a 13/14 year old they looked so modern. I remember seeing a new 74 that dad got in, thought it was lovely. Of course the chrome bumper C3’s are now in high regard and look very period.
The “plastic” bumpers as we call them enabled the C3 to pass the 5mph crash test and look good at the same time.

 

[Nassau65]

Imagine if GM/Chevrolet had taken the easy way out and nailed on those horrible over riders on the front/rear of the corvette as Jaguar did to the series 3 E-Type.

 

[Chuffer]

Things went from bad to worse with the MGB . Jacking up the suspension to give the required bumper height only added to the ungainly looks IMO .

 

[Nassau65]

As I’ve always liked the look of the plastic bumpers on the C3’s , I might get a set of fibreglass C2 bumpers, paint them body Color and wack um on my 65

 

[Roscobbc]

The final '80 - '82 C3's IMHO were the very best looking of the 'plastic' bumper years......even though the chrome bumper C3 looks fantastic considering the '80 to ' 82s are now 45 yeasr old I still think (externally) they look modern against todays cars.

 

[CaptainK]

The final '80 - '82 C3's IMHO were the very best looking of the 'plastic' bumper years......even though the chrome bumper C3 looks fantastic considering the '80 to ' 82s are now 45 yeasr old I still think (externally) they look modern against todays cars.

They are definitely my favourite plastic bumper years as well. Very modern looking.

 

[Nassau65]

The final '80 - '82 C3's IMHO were the very best looking of the 'plastic' bumper years......even though the chrome bumper C3 looks fantastic considering the '80 to ' 82s are now 45 yeasr old I still think (externally) they look modern against todays cars.

Yes, of the “plastic” fronts the 1980-82 is my favourite. Absolutely transformed the corvette in 1980

 

[Grahamred70]

I love my chrome bumpers on my C3, but after being in the club for a while now and seeing the plastic bumpers more, I'm beginning to warm to them much more. Though to be honest, I've always liked the front plastic bumper, it was always the rear plastic bumper that just put me off. Can't quite put my finger on why though.

I know I'm biassed as I have a 1970 chrome bumper convertible, but I think it's the loss of the upturned rear edge on the early plastic bumper rears, a feature that returned on the later cars which I think looks much better, just my opinion though!

Graham

 

[Nassau65]

The 1982 collector edition is a lovely car. Color is superb, and the interior is beautiful. Bronze coloured T-Tops and an opening rear hatch. Those collector edition wheels with the starburst center caps ,so similar to the 1967 bolt on’s which are said by many “in the know” to be the most beautiful corvette wheel ever.
What’s NOT to like?
Well, some say the cross fire injection engine. It does get some bad rap unfortunately.
Had both a 1982 collector and a 1984 C4 with the carry over cross fire motor, both great cars . No problems with either. Of course that was nearly 40 years ago

 

[Vetman]

On YouTube: Worst Engine of all Time: 1982-1984 GM/Chevrolet 305/350 V8 Cross-Fire Injection Engines.
Interesting review.

 

[Nassau65]

I can only speak from experience, all the cross fire engined cars I’ve had have been great. I forgot about the 1982 Camaro Z28 I used for about 6/8 months, very responsive and quick fantastic on fuel on a run.

 

[Chuffer]

Yes, of the “plastic” fronts the 1980-82 is my favourite. Absolutely transformed the corvette in 1980

I know we are all biased towards all things Corvette and I find there is nothing not to like about every generation when you consider the times they were designed for . C3`s morphed seamlessly into each of its different decades of styling tastes . The droop snoot shark nose of the 80 / 82 C3 really brought it up to date in my humble opinion . Then it was just crying out for a front splitter to lower the profile of the projecting snout and you got it made !! ( Big bias in action here I guess )

 

[Nassau65]

I’m not sure on the front splitter I tend to prefer stock. I do know that it wouldn’t last a day round my way with all our bloody speed bumps or sleeping policemen in old school terms

 

[Chuffer]

I’m not sure on the front splitter I tend to prefer stock. I do know that it wouldn’t last a day round my way with all our bloody speed bumps or sleeping policemen in old school terms

Probably tempting fate now but managed to survive unscathed so far if approached with care . Traversing some car show fields has caused a few `sweaty palm` moments though !!

 

[Nassau65]

The odd one here and there was a bit of a novelty back in the day, but now they’re everywhere. Some of them are really high. I think Barnet council had to remove or lower a number of theirs as the ambulances were grounded out on them.

 

[Chuffer]

The odd one here and there was a bit of a novelty back in the day, but now they’re everywhere. Some of them are really high. I think Barnet council had to remove or lower a number of theirs as the ambulances were grounded out on them.

I the problem is the lack of overall supervision of private contractors that all authorities use as highway works are all `outsourced` these days . If traffic calming measures are not installed to the correct standards and the client ( ie : Local Authority ) doesn`t carry out its own quality control then contractors do what they they can get away with , submit their invoice and p**** off ! I was a Clerk of Works for Northamptonshire County Council for 14 years and standards dropped off a cliff once contractors were allowed to police their own standards . I got out at that point and went into Facilities Management where I could kick arse with impunity on my sites .

 

[Roscobbc]

On YouTube: Worst Engine of all Time: 1982-1984 GM/Chevrolet 305/350 V8 Cross-Fire Injection Engines.
Interesting review.

We are 'assulted' by information from all directions, whether it be written in the form of magazine features, or audio visual as in TV, You Tube etc. A lot of that information, especially relating to car is extremely plagiarist in the extreme with journo's literally re-writing/copying articles, features and information.
Something may be been written many years ago in a magazine and subsequently read by 10's, 100's of thousands, perhaps millions of people - the article can be positive or negative, yet people will wholeheartedly believe in its accuracy and for the next few decades will tell about everyone about what they read and how accurate the writer was about his facts......and what could be a total myth becomes 'cemented' in public interstanding......the Clarkson syndrome!
Clarkson and Top Gear have responsible for much public ignorance and misplaced beliefs - people would worship Clarkson and his team's extremely biased and personalised beliefs
So..........journalists of 'the day' didn't think much of GM's Cross Fire system. More likely they based this belief on people who had the system installed for many years, didn't maintain it and the system subsequently failing for lack of maintenance and understanding/knowledge from mechanics and auto repair shops.
Here's another myth for you. '68 (and to a degree '69) Vette's are generalised by 'supposed' experts as being of a poor quality interior with shoddy build quality.......
Why is that?......in late '67 and early '68 GM were rushing to get the C2 chassis with its new C3 body out of the factory gates......so there were many '68 only specific changes made to multiple body and interior components to improve the 'product'. Many components like the radiator were the same as the 1967 C2.
Other years of Vettes also had production/quality issues too. Yet the journo's of the day slated the '68 as being a bad buy comapred with later cars. And that has stuck with the car for years.
Now here is reality!.....How many C2 and C3 Vettes still retain their original interiors and external trim? - being 60 or 70 years old most Vettes will have probably have had at least one interior re-trim and body resto or at the very least a respray......perhaps several.
These cars will have a better quality interior and external finish than when new.
So where do the supposed dodgy build quality and poor interior trim 'myths' now stand?